1. Welcome….
…….from
The Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia
The Sisters of the Sacred Heart, and
Governors of the Sacred Heart School
….. to our drop-in consultation event on a possible new primary school in Swaffham.

2. Format of the event
Informal, but a very important part of our new school planning process
Short presentation on the half hour– general areas for questioning
One-to-one questions to our team at any time
Please fill in comment forms before you go

3. Our vision
To provide parents in the mid-Norfolk area with the choice of an Outstanding state-funded Catholic primary school for their children
To build on the spiritual and educational tradition of the existing Sacred Heart school
To safeguard the excellent facilities at the school for the long-term benefit of children and the wider community

4. But…
…we cannot just dream – we have to demonstrate that the school will be successful by:
Being attractive to enough parents and pupils to generate, in time, a roll of 210 pupils
Having from the start high quality leadership, staff and governors to provide an excellent education for all pupils
Gaining a Good or Outstanding rating from OFSTED on their first visit
so….we need your thoughts to help us to make the vision a reality.

5. Where we are now..
The Diocese is leading the legal process to establish the new school
The law requires Norfolk County Council to make the decision on whether the new school can go ahead
We would like this decision by the end of April so we can open the new school in September 2019
The first stage is the current consultation between now and February 15th
Full details are set out in our paper- and web-based consultation documents
These have been sent out to anyone we think has an interest in the school or will be affected by it

6. How will the new school operate?
210 places (one form in each primary year group)
This number of places will help meet the demand from new housing
Voluntary Aided
A faith school run locally by locally-appointed governors, supported by the Diocese
An admissions policy which reflects this faith basis
State-funded
By replacing a fee-paying school the new school will become available to more families, but still be available to existing pupils
With a pre-school group
Governors will manage the existing Little Pedlars pre-school
Able to use all the facilities of the existing school
Governors will look to extend community use

7. A school in the Catholic faith tradition
We have a strong track record of successful state schools
We offer clear, faith-based values for all staff and pupils in our learning communities
Senior leaders in other Catholic schools will support the new school
Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development will be at the heart of the school’s work
The RE curriculum will offer a wide range of learning experiences about all faiths, as well as about the Catholic faith
We will put into practice the strong Catholic commitment to ethnic, racial and cultural diversity, and to an inclusive education for all pupils

8. How you can help us
Give a general opinion of whether you support the idea of a new school
Give your ideas and suggestions about how our proposal can be improved so that it is as strong as possible
Challenge and question us to test how strong our plans are
Let us know if you think you would like your child/children to have a place at the new school in September

9. How to respond to us
Give your comments now or individually to one of our team
Fill in the form before you go
Send us an online response when you have thought more about the proposal

10. What happens next? The consultation runs until February 15th
We will then decide whether to publish a formal proposal
We will let everyone know our decision at this stage
The formal proposal is published in the press and is open for public comments
At the end of four weeks we will prepare a submission for the County Council
Within two months – but we hope by the end of April – the County Council has to make a decision
We will then, if the proposal is approved, recruit senior staff and an interim governing body to carry out detailed planning for the opening in September